Spear CR, this area (los suenos marina) is unfortunately the high rent district of Costa. my boat is usually $1200 per day for offshore and $1000 day inshore. i can do $1000 for a mix of inshore and offshore full day. and $800 for full day inshore. as i want to go spearing as much as possible. gas here is $5.03 gallon and i usually burn 80-90 gallons doing a full day offshore. and then have about another $100 in food drinks and misc expenses. we usually have to go 20-30 miles out to begin bluewater stuff. whereas off of the nicoyan peninsula the run is much shorter. my boat is a totally legal licsenced CR flagged (duty paid) charterboat kept in the marina which all adds to the cost . i can also help arrange transportation and lodging. we have a beatifull 3bd 3 bath oceanview condo in los suenos the management co rent for $800 night , i can rent it out directly for $400 night. by comparision a single oceanview room in the Marriot is about $360/ night. if you are on facebook check out "reel intense adventures- costa rica" for pics and more info. if this is above what you were looking to spend let me know and i would be more than happy to help co-ordinate something in your price range, i have numerous contacts with lower cost boats outside the marina and can help with lodging in all price ranges

"the master fo the art of living makes little distinction between his work or play, love or leisure, religion or education. He simply pursues his vision of excellence in everything he does, leaving others to decide which is which; to him, he is always doing both"

dang. that's insane! i just went through this thread and your trips look UNREAL. Every spearos dream. I'm looking at heading down with a group of 3-4 guys in late July/early August. how are conditions and what fish are around that time of year? also, any charters in particular that you recommend going out with from either quepos or los suenos that are reasonably priced?

have been doing trips there only during the dry season/ dec to march you may get possible blue water offshore
during my last stay we spotted at about 15 miles off the coast miles of lines drifting on the surface with baited hooks suspended every 50 feet… Fishermen come every night year longLongline fishing is a non selective technic which tease and kill everything there. I was told that usually 60 to 70 % catch get discarded and 70 % of those discards get thrown back dead! So I checked while diving 20 hooks: 10 empty, 2 turtles,2 dorado and 4 ray…
The bait used is made of discarded manta ray, sailfish..
Probably over 3000 hooks there!
I guess intensive longliner off the CR coast will do gradually killing sportfishing... and blue water hunting!

spearfishing is highly frowned apon in Los Suenos area, as it interferes with the sizable sportfishing industry
spearing billfish is illegal in costa rica, even lifting a live one up for photos is now punishable by a $2000 fine
in areas around Los Suenos or probably even quepos I doubt and legitimate charter boat would risk his livelihood for anyone who wants to kill billfish whether they get eaten or not
more remote areas like nosara or carillio on the outside of Nicoya peninsula are more laid back and less enforced

"the master fo the art of living makes little distinction between his work or play, love or leisure, religion or education. He simply pursues his vision of excellence in everything he does, leaving others to decide which is which; to him, he is always doing both"

Yea I have no intention of taking a billfish. More interested in tuna, dorado, wahoo, pargo etc. Are any of those species typically around in July/August or do I need to change the dates I'm going? I understand the inshore vis is worse this time of year but what about blue water diving off shore?

I will be down there in september, can anyone recomend a charter in the jaco area?

while I can't recomend one, STAY AWAY from the one that is across the street from POP's ice cream, the place is a scam and I have had a very bad experience with them, they stiffed us $300.

Hope you enjoy costa rica, VERY beautiful country, great food, great people. but keep in mind of two things: If they think you don't know any better, you will get hustled, and if you leave nice things on the beach, they have a tendency to walk away. but I do feel like these things happen regardless of where you go in this ever shrinking world.

__________________money can't buy happiness
but it can buy bacon,
and that's pretty much the same thing.